3 Reasons You Should NOT get a 50mm 1.8 Lens

So you may have heard many photographers talking about a “nifty-fifty” or also know as the 50mm 1.8 lens. Both Canon and Nikon have a version. If you are a new photographer, or are looking to make a purchase of your next lens you might be wondering “is the lens right for me?” Maybe it is…or maybe not. Keep reading to learn 3 reasons why you would NOT want to buy the 50mm 1.8 camera lens.

Reason 1: You Don’t Want Sharp Focus

If you are totally happy with the focus of your kit lens and you think your photos are coming out as sharp as they could possibly get, the 50mm 1.8 might not be your lens. HOWEVER, if you are just kind of content with the clarity, but think that you could produce sharper images with clearer focus- then the 50mm 1.8 would be a good choice for you to upgrade to. The nifty-fifty will give you better focus and clearer photos than the kits lens that probably came with your camera.

Reason 2: You’d Rather Spend Lots of Money

If money is no issue and you are not on a budget, then this lens probably isn’t for you. If you have a few thousand dollars laying around to spend on camera equipment, I’d recommend you buy the 135mm or better yet a 200mm 2.0 (that one’s close to 6 grand). HOWEVER, if you like your money and want to save it to purchase products that are still great value but will not break your bank, the 50mm 1.8 is an awesome value for the price. Usually you can pick one of these guys up for around $100.

Reason 3: You Don’t Want to Be Amazed by the Results

If you would like a lens that is heavy to carry around that takes so-so photos that you may or may not love, then this is not the lens to get. BUT, if you would like to see almost instant results with your photos, the 50mm 1.8 would be a great one to invest in. When I first starting shooting with this lens, I was amazed! I wondered why I didn’t invest in it much sooner!

Hopefully you’ve figured out by now, that I would totally recommend this lens for anyone that is new to photography or is looking to make their first lens purchase. It is an excellent lens to start with and is also a lens I’ve owned for quite awhile now. So what are you waiting for?! You will love it:)

What lens are you using right now? Do you love it? Let us know in a comment below.

For another lens review of one of my personal faves- check out why you SHOULD look into getting a 135mm.

My one and only lens is the Canon 85mm 1.2L II lens. I’m extremely happy with the results I get with it. It is a bit of a challenge to shoot at the 1.2 aperture. Slight movement and you risk image blur. That the weight and the price would deter some purchasing it.ReplyCancel

The title of your article got my attention. As a professor, teaching portrait photography, I frequently have newbies in my classes and they ask me for advice on their next lens purchase (beyond the kit lens). The nifty-fifty (or fantastic-plastic) 50 f/1.8 is always my advice. After all, they are college students and money is something they seldom have a load of for extra lenses.

Hey William! I started out using an older Canon from the rebel series, the most recent model is the Canon t6. I think that would be a great one to use on the go and easy to use in auto:) -EmilyReplyCancel

KarilynApril 1, 2017 - 10:15 am

You know I do love my 50 mm!! After a couple of years I’ve switched over to tge canon 90 mm macro. It’s the older one, BUT I bought it for $175. It is absolutely fabulous!! Mt daughter is now getting into photography and she is using my old canon t5 with the 50 mm lens. Yep! Great investment!!ReplyCancel

I agree 110% with everything you mentioned about the nifty fifty! I bought one shortly after getting my Canon T5i. Another great upgrade from the kit 70-300 is the 55-250mm with image stabilization (IS STM). It stays on my camera!ReplyCancel